Nineteenth Century America PDF

Nineteenth Century America http://brilliantcornersabostonjazzblog.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html. Photo may be taken from Peter Ven Der Merwe's Origins of the Popular Style. th 19 Century USA Nine Historical Themes & Six Songs Theme 1: Influences from the Colonial Era (1500s-1700s) Native Amer...

Nineteenth Century America http://brilliantcornersabostonjazzblog.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html. Photo may be taken from Peter Ven Der Merwe's Origins of the Popular Style. th 19 Century USA Nine Historical Themes & Six Songs Theme 1: Influences from the Colonial Era (1500s-1700s) Native American/American Indian European Colonialism: Spanish British (English, Scotch, Welsh) & Irish French African: transatlantic slave trade Colonization to 1750 French Spanish British Spanish British 2. Slavery, Abolition, Emancipation, Persistent Racism Abolition Movement (mainly in the North) Civil War (1861-64): Union v. Confederacy Emancipation of Slaves Emancipation Proclamation, 1863 Four million people freed Thirteenth Amendment, 1865 Reconstruction Era (new ways to help freed blacks and rebuild the Union), 1867-1877 Persistence of Racism – White supremacy acts against reconstruction – Jim Crow laws in south – Segregation, structural racism persists 3: Immigration in the 19th C. Waves of European immigrants: 1850s: Great Britain, Ireland, Germany 1880s: Scandinavia, Italy, Central Europe 1900: Central Europe, Russia, Italy Immigrants from Asia: 1850s: China then Japan, Korea, India, Syria, and elsewhere 19th & 20th Century Immigration to US Changing U.S. Laws have either restricted or encouraged immigration (examples) 1864 Act: encourages immigration 1882: Chinese Exclusion Act 1917: excludes all Asians 1921 Quota Act: quotas set at 3% of foreign-born population as of 1910 census 1924 Act: bans Asian immigrants; quotas at 2% of 1890 census. 1943 repeal of Chinese Exclusion Act, replaced by quota 1948 Displaced Persons Act for refugees from Nazi Germany 1953, 1962, 1980 Refugee Relief Acts 1965 Civil Rights Act restores basic rights to Chinese Americans 1965: removes quota system, setting annual visa limits 1988, 1990: increases visa limits from under-represented countries 2001 Patriot Act: restricts immigration Source: Kay Kaufman Shelemay, Soundscapes, 3rd Ed. (Norton 2015) 4. Westward Expansion, Manifest Destiny John Gast, “Spirit of the Frontier” (1872) Source: Oakland Museum of California Native Americans c. 1500 Relocating Native Americans Including Lanape 5: Wars with Foreign Powers Wars with Native Americans War of 1812 (1812-15) – USA, UK, Canada, Native Americans Mexican-American War, Texas (1846-48) Spanish-American War (1898) – Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, Philippines 6. Patriotism, Romantic Nationalism Thomas Cole ‘s, The Clove Catskills (1827) 7. Industrialization & Transportation Textiles, steel, coal Manufacturing Piano manufacturing Publishing: broadsheets and sheet music Telegraph Transportation networks: Railroads, Turnpikes, distribution Belts, wheels, and steam engines (Crawford, p. 234) (Related to Industrialization & Immigration) Market Revolution: agriculture à industry Urbanization Population growth Northern Phenomena north-south divide 8. Genteel Culture Genteel culture – styles, tastes, and dispositions derived from upper-class, wealthy, or land-owners in Colonial America Derived from Victorian-era European ideals Striving toward upward mobility Conservative gender roles Domestic sphere, women’s domain, parlor culture 9: Sacred and Secular separate in the state, but intermixed in culture Interpret through 9 themes? PART II: Six Songs, 19th Century American Music Which historical themes does each song reflect? Main sources: Richard Crawford, America’s Musical Life: A History (Norton, 2001) Starr and Waterman, American Popular Music. Mellonee Burnim and Portia Maultsby, eds., African American Music (Routledge, 2006) 1. “Star Spangled Banner” (1814) O! say can you see by the dawn’s early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there; O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave? “Star Spangled Banner” (1814) Themes: Wars with Foreign Powers, Patriotism/Nationalism, Influences from the Colonial Era From a poem reflecting on witnessing the battle in Washington during the 1812 War with British First for parlor music, then a national anthem (1931) Melody from English Drinking Song – British influence Published as Poem then Broadside then Sheet Music Favorite of brass bands and traveling orchestras “Land of the free”: Was this accurate at the time? “Star Spangled Banner” (1814) Published as Poem then Broadside then Sheet Music Brass Bands “A town without its brass band is as much in need of sympathy as a church without a choir. The spirit of a place is recognized in its band” (1878) (quoted in Starr and Waterman, p. 31) 2. “Home, Sweet Home” (1823) ‘Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home. A charm from the sky seems to hallow us there, Which, seek through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere. Home. Home! Sweet, sweet home! There's no place like home. There's no place like home. “Home, Sweet Home” Themes: most of them because most listeners can relate to nostalgia for home. Also sacred/secular and romantic nationalism (“charm in the sky”) One of the most popular songs of 19th C. U.S. Henry Bishop (music), John Howard Payne (text) From an English opera, Clari, or The Maid of Milan (1823) Lacked copyright, so published versions proliferated Could be applicable to anyone listening or singing it Nostalgia for home, urbanization and travel Favored by soldiers during Civil War Many performance contexts: theater, parlor, battle, campfire, dance Arranged for brass band Opera and Classical Music: From Popular to Elitist 3. “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair” (1854) I dream of Jeanie with the light brown hair, Borne like a vapor on the sweet summer air; I see her tripping where the bright streams play, Happy as the daisies that dance on her way. Many were the wild notes her merry voice would pour, Many were the blithe birds that warbled them o'er: I dream of Jeanie with the light brown hair, Floating, like a vapor, on the soft summer air. “Jeanie with the Light Brown Eyes” (1854) Themes: Genteel culture (conservative gender depictions), European immigration, industry (publishing) By Stephen Foster Love song: separation theme Popular parlor song Irish-style melody (stepwise motion and leaps) Cadenza in the style of Italian opera arias AABA song form Cover art on sheet music (trend from 1830) Parlor songs and the music industry Music education Cheap pianos fueled sheet music industry Simple songs with easy arrangements Targeted at women, rulers of the domestic sphere Photograph, c. 1900, WEB DuBois Collection: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/99472455/ 4. “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Had” [Seen] (1867) Nobody knows de trouble I’ve had Nobody knows but Jesus Nobody know de trouble I’ve had Glory, hallelu ! One morning I was a-walking down O yes, Lord I saw some berries a-hanging down O yes, Lord I pick de berry and I suck de juice O yes, Lord Just as sweet as the honey in de comb O yes, Lord Sometimes I’m up, sometimes I’m down O yes, Lord Sometimes I’m almost o de groun’ O yes, Lord What make ole Satan hate me so O yes, Lord Because he got me once and he let me go O yes, Lord Nobody knows de trouble I’ve seen Nobody knows de trouble but Jesus Nobody knows de trouble I’ve seen Glory Hallelujah! Sometimes I’m up, sometimes I’m down Oh, yes, Lord Sometimes I’m almost to de groun’ Oh, yes, Lord Although you see me goin’ ‘long so Oh, yes, Lord I have my trials here below Oh, yes, Lord If you get there before I do Oh, yes, Lord Tell all-a my friends I’m coming too Oh, yes, Lord African-American Spirituals Themes: Colonial era, Slavery/Emancipation/Racism, sacred/secular Composed by blacks since the mid-18th century Many include analogies between Biblical Israelites fleeing slavery in Egypt and slavery in America Performance practices: call-response, heterophony, clapping, stomping, moving between speech and song Concert Spirituals Reconstruction era development Homophonic choral arrangements of spirituals Famously arranged and sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers of Fisk University (college established for freed blacks during Reconstruction) African-American concert singers since then: Harry T. Burleigh, Roland Hayes, Marian Anderson, Paul Robeson Marion Anderson (1902-1993) Easter Concert, 1939: Not allowed to sing at Constitution Hall, in D.C. Instead, performed at Lincoln Memorial 75,000 attended Sang “Nobody Knows…” 5. “Get Off The Track” (1844) Ho! the car, Emancipation, Rides majestic thro' our nation Bearing on its train, the story Liberty! a nation's glory. Roll it along! Roll it along! Roll it along! thro' the nation Freedom's car, Emancipation Men of various predilections, Frightened, run in all directions; Merchants, editors, physicians, Lawyers, priests and politicians. Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Get out of the way! every station, Clear the track of 'mancipation. All true friends of emancipation, Haste to freedom's rail road station; Quick into the cars get seated, All is ready, and completed. Put on the steam! Put on the steam! Put on the steam! All are crying, And the liberty flags are flying. Hear the mighty car wheels humming! Now look out! the engine's coming! Church and statesmen! hear the thunder! Clear the track! or you'll fall under. Get off the track! Get off the track! Get off the track! all are singing, While the liberty bell is ringing. See the people run to meet us; At the depots thousands greet us; All take seats with exultation, In the car, Emancipation. Huzza! Huzza! Huzza! Huzza! “Get Off The Track” (1844) Themes: Slavery/Abolition/Emancipation, Industry/Transportation (as metaphor) By the Hutchinsons, group of activist singers Emancipation song, explicit Abolitionist message effective song for rallies, but did not achieve wide popularity North-south tension: Sung during protest rallies in the north, berating the south Railroad references Uses melody from early minstrel song, “Old Dan Tucker” 6. “Old Dan Tucker” (1843) Old Daniel Tucker wuz a mighty man, He washed his face in a fryin' pan; Combed his head wid a wagon wheel And he died wid de toofache in his heel. Get out de way! Old Dan Tucker. You're too late to come to supper. [another verse] Old Dan Tucker, he got drunk, He fell in the far (fire) and kicked up a chunk, A red hot coal fell down his shoe, Oh my goodness, what'll I do? Here's old Dan, he comes to town; He swings the ladies round and round. He swings one east, he swings one west, He swings with the one he loves the best. “Old Dan Tucker” (1843) Themes: Slavery/Racism, European Immigration/urbanization in north, By northerner Daniel Emmett, Virginia Minstrels Minstrel show songs (not spirituals): – Most popular type of music in 19th Century US – From the Cakewalk: Black imitation of white elite dance – Working class white urban northerners imitating cakewalk Until 1850: poor whites identifying with blacks as critique on white elites; lower classes lampooning upper classes; somewhat sympathetic; humorous After 1850: more exaggerated stereotypes, more derogatory, more racist, less sympathetic 7. “Dixie” (c. 1859) probably by Daniel Emmett Making fun of southern blacks – “I wish I was in de land ob cotton / Old time dar am not forgotton” Big hit in New Orleans Adopted by southern whites, proudly Became the anthem of Confederacy during Civil War Stephen Foster’s Minstrel Songs “Oh, Susanna” (1848) – Derogatory verse with a telegraph “De Camptown Races” (1850) – Horse racing, drinking, gambling “Old Folks at Home” (1851) – Irish style melody – Part nostalgia song, pining for home Themes of Minstrelsy that Will Recur “Love and Theft” (Eric Lott): white appropriation of black style (though minstrel songs were not composed by blacks) Lower class critiquing upper class Northerners portraying southerners African American performers portraying stereotyped versions of African Americans From the margins to the mainstream, “losing rebellious energy” (Starr & Waterman, 25) American popular musical theater